UNICEF assists tsunami affected Trinco children

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 March 2005, 13:31 GMT]Sixty children who lost their parents in the tsunami deadly waves in the Trincomalee district and are maintained by their close relatives under the supervision of the North East Provincial Department of Probation and Child Care Services (PCCS) have been provided with relief assistance donated by the UNICEF.

Ms Ranjini hands over a UNICEF relief package to a girl who lost her parents in tsunami.

The inaugural event in this regard was held Monday evening at the conference hall of the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Divisional Secretariat with Provincial Commissioner of Probation and Child Care Ms N.R.Ranjini as the chief guest The affected children attended the event with their custodians and accepted the UNICEF assistance, sources said.

Ms.Ranjini said in the northeast province 740 children lost their both parents and 2574 children lost one of their parents in the tsunami disaster. In Trincomalee district sixty children lost their both parents and 132 lost one of their parents.

Provincial Commissioner Ms Ranjini speaking at the event. Ms Jalatheepan, Trincomalee Assistant Divisional Secretary is also in the picture.

She said, "several non-governmental organizations volunteered to run homes for destitute children who have lost their parents in tsunami. But our department decided against opening of such homes. Hence we informed the Government Agents and Divisional Secretaries not to give permission for the establishment new children homes in their areas. Sending destitute children to homes would do more damage to them psychologically than the trauma they
suffered in tsunami. The child needs love and affection and it is our view that homes run by institutions cannot give required love and affection. Hence we decided to hand over the maintenance of the destitute child to its close relative after careful scrutiny and now we pay monthly six hundred rupees to the custodian of the child".

This amount is not enough to maintain a destitute child and it's only a temporary measure. However action would be taken to increase the amount after six months, she added.

Assistant Divisional Secretary Ms S.Jalatheepan, Trincomalee District Manager of the Save the Children Fund in Sri Lanka (SciSL) Mr. Mark Patterson, UNICEF officials and Probation officers participated in the event.